Toll Payment Options at the Golden Gate Bridge

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At the Golden Gate Bridge, tolls are assessed only in the southbound direction, heading into San Francisco. All tolls are assessed electronically, with no stopping at the Toll Plaza.There are four ways to pay tolls: FasTrak and three Pay-By-Plate options that include License Plate Account, One-Time Payment and Toll Invoice. Tolls can be paid using credit card, cash, check or money order, and can be paid online, by phone, or in person. Learn more about which option is best for you.

FasTrak

FasTrak is a convenient option for paying tolls on all of the Bay Area’s eight toll bridges and Express Lanes (I-680 and SR 237), as well as the toll roads in southern California. To learn more about the Bay Area FasTrak roadway network, click here.

Your tolls are automatically deducted from a prepaid account that can be opened using a credit card or cash. At the Golden Gate Bridge, FasTrak offers discounted toll rates and is required for carpools. To learn more about carpools, click here.

When your vehicle goes through the Toll Plaza, the toll tag signal, when mounted properly on your vehicle, is read by an antennae. As your vehicle passes through the Toll Plaza and you hear a beep, your FasTrak Account is charged the appropriate discounted toll. If, for some technical reason, your toll tag does not beep, cameras capture images of your vehicle license plate number. Then, as long as there is a FasTrak Account associated with this license plate number, your FasTrak Account is automatically charged the appropriate discounted toll.

To activate a FasTrak Account, a prepaid toll balance and a $20 refundable toll tag deposit are required. When using a credit card, the initial prepaid minimum toll balance is $25; when using cash, check or money order, the initial prepaid minimum toll balance is $50. Once your account is open and activated, you can monitor it online at www.bayareafastrak.org.

Open Your FasTrak Account

Stop by select Costco, Safeway, or Walgreens to purchase a FasTrak toll tag for $25 ($20 refundable deposit and $5 in prepaid tolls); find a Bay Area retail location near you. Once you have the toll tag, you must open a FasTrak Account either (1) online by registering the toll tag at www.bayareafastrak.org; (2) over the phone by calling (877) BAY-TOLL (1-877-229-8655) (click here for hours of operation); or (3) in person at the Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center(effective June 17, 2014) at 62 First Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, near the intersection of Market and First Streets, (click here for hours of operation).

You may open a FasTrak Account and pay the initial prepaid balance several ways, More▼Less ▲

In Person using credit card, cash, check, money order: Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center (effective June 17, 2014) at 62 First Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 (near the intersection of Market and First Streets). Click here for hours of operation.

Online: Download application from www.bayareafastrak.org and mail in to the address provided (using credit card or check/money order) or drop off in person if paying with cash to the Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center noted above.

Remain Anonymous

If you prefer to remain anonymous, that is an option offered when using FasTrak, click here to learn more.

Replenish Your FasTrak Account

When it is time to replenish your FasTrak Account, the driver feedback display located in each toll lane reads “Low Bal” or "Account Low."

Replenish using Cash/Check/Money Order: Whenever your prepaid toll balance falls below $30 or your personalized minimum threshold, you must replenish your account. There are several ways: (1) In person using cash only at a Cash Payment Location; (2) In person using cash/check/money order at the Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center (effective June 17, 2014) at 62 First Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, near the intersection of Market and First Streets, (click here for hours of operation); or (3) By mail using check/money order: Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center, P.O. Box 26926, San Francisco, CA 94126. Be sure to include your account number and please do not mail cash.

Pay-By-Plate

There are three Pay-By-Plate toll payment options: License Plate Account, One-Time Payment, and Toll Invoice. The Pay-By-Plate toll rates are not discounted, only the FasTrak toll rates are discounted. The cameras at the Toll Plaza record images of license plates as your vehicle passes through the Toll Plaza. Then, electronically, the toll can then be assessed to your License Plate Account, to a One-Time Payment transaction, or a Toll Invoice payment. You do not need a toll tag or any other device with the Pay-By-Plate options. If you decide that FasTrak is not for you and prefer to use Pay-By-Plate, paying by credit card online is likely the easiest option. Alternatively, cash-paying customers may continue to pay their toll using cash for all of the Pay-By-Plate options.

License Plate Account

License Plate Accounts are best suited for drivers who choose to “pay as they go” on the Golden Gate Bridge and choose to forgo the benefits of paying FasTrak’s discounted toll rates. The account can be funded using a credit card or cash/check/money order. You may add up to 5 license plates per account.

If you register your license plate with your credit card, the toll is charged to your credit card when your vehicle crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. There is no prepaid toll balance required and there are no extra fees.

If you use cash/check/money order, a prepaid toll balance equivalent to a single toll is required, and the toll is deducted from the Account when your vehicle crosses the Bridge. There are no extra fees with this option.

One-Time Payment

Making a One-Time Payment is exactly what it sounds like: you make your toll payment, one payment at a time. One-Time Payments are suggested for drivers who infrequently cross the Golden Gate Bridge, for visitors travel in their own vehicles from out of the area, out-of-state, out-of the country, and for customers that want to pay using cash. One-Time Payments can be made up to 30 days before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge or within 48 hours after and can be made using a credit card or cash/check/money order. There are no extra fees when you make a One-Time Payment.

In person using cash/check/money order or credit card: Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center (effective June 17, 2014) at 62 First Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 (near the intersection of Market and First Streets). Click here for hours of operation.

Toll Invoice

If you do not take action to open a FasTrak Account, open a License Plate Account, or make a One-Time Payment, a Toll Invoice is generated and mailed to the registered own of the vehicle. The Toll Invoice is only for the toll amount due. There are no added fees or penalties. The first Toll Invoice is mailed four or more days after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Thereafter, invoices are mailed on a 30-day cycle if the customer crosses the Bridge again in the same vehicle without taking action to pay the toll using FasTrak or Pay-By-Plate.

Any unpaid Toll Invoice or unpaid portion of a Toll Invoice leads directly to a Toll Violation notice which attaches a $25 penalty for each toll transaction associated with the unpaid Toll Invoice. If the first Toll Violation notice goes unpaid, a second Toll Violation notice is issued (with increased penalties) and if it goes unpaid, the amount due is referred to the DMV who will withhold your vehicle registration until the penalties are paid. For out-of-state vehicles, the matter is referred to a collections agency. To learn more about ways to pay a Toll Invoice, More▼Less ▲

Ways to Pay a Toll Invoice

By mail using credit card or check/money order: Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center, P.O. Box 26926, San Francisco, CA 94126. Please note that the returned check fee is $25.00.

In person using credit card or cash/check/money order: Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center (effective June 17, 2014) at 62 First Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 (near the intersection of Market and First Streets). Click here for hours of operation.